April 5, 2009

1913 message in a bottle received

A message left in a bottle in 1913 has been found on the shores of the Spokane River in Washington.

Darin Winkler said he was walking along the river's edge when he spotted what appeared to be an antique bottle surrounded by rubbish, the Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review reported Sunday.

Spring and high water brings up various kinds of things on shore, Winkler said. We saw an old flattened basketball and a bunch of bottles. Mostly they were whiskey bottles, Mad Dog 20-20 bottles, things like that. But this one stood out.

Winkler said he took the bottle back to his house and carefully teased the note out of it. He said the paper was slightly damp and flaking in places.

The pencil-written note was dated March 30, 1913, and signed by Emmett Presnell of Rockford, Wash. It asked the finder of the bottle to write him back.